Metal loose leaf binding with lock



Aug. 30, 1960 J. w. LYON METAL LoosE LEAF BINDING WITH LOCK Filed June 23, 1958 LZEZZZF da//A/ M y0/y Patented Aug. 30, 1960 MLETAL MESSE LEAF BNBWG WITH LGCK .lohn W. Lyon, Vinnetka, Iii., assignor to General Binding Eorporation, Northbrook, Ill., a corporation of illinois iled .lune 23, 1%58, Ser. No. 743,643

l Claim. (Cl. 129-24) This invention relates to binders of metal or like structurally rigid material, for securing a stack of sheets to be bound and more particularly relates to a novel means for positively locking the ring iingers thereofin a closed position when desired.

Metal loose leaf binders, of the type to which applicants novel locking means is particularly directed, include a base portion or backbone having a plurality of ring fingers eX- tending therethrough in which the ring fingers have inturned flanges adjacent the undersurface of the backbone pivotally abutting one another so that upon separation of the ring ngers the inturned flanges abut the undersurface of the base portion, or at least a portion thereof, to limit the opening movement of the ring fingers.

Applicant contemplates a novel locking arrangement for loose leaf binders of the type above described which compn'ses the provision of a movable lock having a lug on one end thereof wherein the lug is arranged to be selectively interposed between the inturned flanges of the ring lingers and the backbone or back portion of the binder to prevent opening of the ring ngers. Applicant has devised such a lock which may readily be moved to a position to permit opening of the ngers when the notebook or other article with which the binder is associated is opened out to a. flat or nearly flat position.

It is well known that when loose leaf binders of the type above described, which are not provided with a means for locking the ring ngers in a closed position, are dropped or subjected to substantial shock they are liable to become opened thus releasing the sheets they were intended to bind. Accordingly, applicant has attempted to remedy md obviate these undersirable characteristics by providing a novel means for locking the ring ngers of such a binder in the closed position wherein only manual movement of the locking means will permit the opening of the ring ngers and wherein shock on a binder so locked will not cause opening of the ring fingers.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of this invention to provide a novel means for releasably locking a plurality of ring ngers in a binder in the closed position.

lt is another object of the present invention to provide a means for readily manually locking a plurality of ring fingers in a binding device of the type above described in the closed position wherein the subjection of the binding device to shock will not cause opening of the ring fingers so locked.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide means for locking a plurality of ring fingers in a binder of the type above described in a closed position comprising the provision of a manually movable lug which can selectively be interposed between the inturned flanges of the ring ngers and the backbone or back portion of the binder to prevent opening movement of the ring lingers.

These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from time to time as the following specication proceeds and with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a binder embodying the principles of the present invention and showing the binder mounted in a notebook;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view through a binder showing the binder lingers locked in the closed loop position by a binder lock constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view through a binder illustrated in Figure l similar to Figure 2, but showing the ring ngers in the open position;

Figure 4 is a bottom plan View of the binder illustrated in Figure l;

Figure 5 is an axial vertical sectional View through the binder illustrated -in Figure 1 and showing the binder lock in association therewith; and

Figure 6 is a plan View of the binder lock which forms the subject of the present invention.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings there is shown a binding element or binder it) which is suitably secured to the back portion 11 of a notebook l2 in a manner which will hereinafter be more fully described. 'Ihe back portion 11 of the binder or binding element 1Q is shown as including a stiftening board i3 which underlies a metallic support 14 having a plurality of upwardly disposed recesses 15. A covering 14a of leather, cloth, or other suitable material is shown as being formed about the supporting members 13 and 14 of the back portion 11 and as being fitted about the similarly constructed supporting members of the front and rear covers 1S and 19, respectively, of the notebook 12 and as being suitably apertured to fit about the upwardly disposed recessed portions l5 of the supporting plate 14.

The binder l@ comprises an arcuately shaped backbone 2@ having depending flanges 2l and 22 extending along opposed longitudinal edges thereof. A pair of comb-shaped members 23 and 24 having inturned flanges 25 and 2b, respectively, and having a plurality of ring fingers 27 and 2S, respectively, extending therefrom are associated with the backbone 26 and are so positioned that each of the ring ngers extends through suitable receiving slots (not shown) in the backbone 20.

It will be particularly noted in Figure l that the fingers 25 are suitably grooved in the outer free ends thereof to receive a complementary portion on the outer free ends of the ring fingers 27 when the ngers are in the closed loop position as shown therein.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 2 and 4 it will be noted that the inturned flanges 2S and 26 of the comb-shaped members 23 and 24 are formed with a plurality of concave grooves 29 along the abutting longitudinal edges thereof which lie intermediate a plurality of projecting engaging nibs 30 so as to form a plurality of apertures 3l. The inturned flange 26 has a concave grooved portion 32 along the inner longitudinal edge thereof which is cooperable with a convex portion 33 along the inner longitudinal edge of the inturned flange 25 to permit rockable movement of the flanges 25 and 26 with respect to one another.

A release lever 35 is shown as having lugs 36 on opposed sides thereof which are received within suitable apertures within the depending ilanges 2l and 22 adjacent the end of the binder 1i) and as having a central lug 37 underlying the inturned anges 25 and 26. The release lever 35 is rockable about the lugs 36 and may be pushed downwardly so that the lug 37 acts upwardly lon the inturned flanges 2S and 26 to snap the combshaped members 27 and 28 to the position as illustrated in Figure 3 in a manner which is well known in the art. There may, of course, be a release lever provided at each end of the binder 10 to facilitate opening of the ring ngers 27 and 28 for insertion or removal of sheets y suitably securedv to the plate 41 and has a radially enlarged elongated head portion 46;Y The elongated head 46 is so positioned on the binder lock 4Qthat'the head may iit through one of the apertures 31 in the binder 10 when the axis-of the lock 40- is positioned at right angles lto the axis Vof the binder 10 as-shownV in Figure 3.

VYReferringV now more-particularly to Figures 2. and 5 Vit may be seen that when the ring iingers 27 and 28 are in the closed loop-position the binder lock 40 may berotatably moved from the position illustrated in Figure 3 until it is coaxially aligned Awith the binding element so that the-head 46 of the lug 43 is interposed between the inturned flanges and. 26- and the back-V bone 20 so that the underside ofthe head 46 abuts the inturnediianges to prevent opening of the ring fingers 27 and 28. It will further be noted that the upturned end 42 of the binder-lock 40 lies under the release lever and that the lug 43 Yis arranged to cooperate with the aperture 3&1 on the outermost end of the binding element 16; Obviously, if so desired a binder lock may be provided at each end of the binding element though one is generally quite satisfactory in use.

The binding elementv 10 is generally associated with afbook such as the notebook 12 and is connected therewith by means of a rivet or other suitable securing means which interconnects the backbone 20 with one of the recesses 15. Since the outer portion of each of the recesses 15 extends generally above the lateral surface of the back portion 11 of the notebook 12 the binder 10 is so secured that the anges 21 and 22 terminate above the lateral surface of the back portion 11 to thus permit the movement of the binder lock 4th therebetween. It will further be noted that in his paricular embodiment of the invention the binder lock is shown as extending over the back cover 19 of the notebook 12 across the heat seal hinge 49 so that when the binder lock is in the unlocked position illustrated in Figure 3 the notebook cannot be closed. Similarly, the binder lock cannot be moved from the closed to the open position unless the notebook is opened. It will be understood, however, that this is not a necessary limitation sinceY it may be desirableto' provide. a binder lock of shorter dimension or to form the back portion'fI-l?V of the binder of greater moved to permit opening of the ring fingers in a mechanical binding element.

It will herein be understood that this embodiment of the invention has been used for illustrative purposes only and that various modifications and variations in the present invention may be eifected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts thereof.

I claim as my invention;

In a binding element and in combination with a notebook-back having a relatively ilat surface, an arcuate backboneV secured to said back in vertically spaced relation with respect thereto and having a concave portion facing said back and anges depending therefrom and extending along opposite edges thereof and terminating in spaced Vrelation with respect to said notebook back, a plurality of apertures spaced along opposite edge portions of said backbone adjacent the juncture of said flanges therewith, a plurality of ring fingersV extending Y through said apertures and' cooperable to form a pludimension so that the binder may be maintained in the unlocked position when the notebook is closed, such as, for instance, when the binder must be opened and closed many times over a short interval of time.

Referring again to Figure 3 ofthe drawings it is apparent that when the binder lock 40 is positioned with its axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the binding element 19 the inturned anges 25 and 26 of the comb-shaped members 23 and 24, respectively, are free to be moved upwardly about the lug 43 by the lever 35 since the apertures 31 are of'greater dimension than the head 46. In this manner, a positively locking binder lock has been provided whichtcan readily be manually rality of closed loops, inturned flanges extending inwardly from said ring lingers between the underside of said backbone and said notebook back, and extending along and engaged by said first mentioned anges and pivotally engaging one another on the underside of said backbone and spaced from said backbone when said ngers are in a closed loop position, said inturned flanges having a plurality of concave grooves'formed along the adjacent edges thereof and registering with each other to form a plurality of elongated apertures affording communication between said notebook back and the underside of said backbone, a locking plate between said inturned ilanges and said notebook back and in engagement with Ithe latter, said locking plate having an outer end portion adapted to be gripped by the fingers for moving said locking plate angularly along said back into alignment with said backbone and in angularly extended relation with respectV to said backbone inthe space between one of said first mentioned depending flanges and said notebook back, said locking plate having a locking lug extending upwardly therefrom having a shank portion of reduced cross-sectional area extending upwardly through one of said apertures for angular movement with respect thereto and having an elongated Vhead portion extending into engagement with said backbone, longer than the width ofthe associated aperture and shorter than the length of said'associated aperture and of a width less than the narrowest dimension of said aperture, interposed between the underside of said backbone and the UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,575,591 r Newman Mar. 2, 1926 1,787,957 Shade Jan. 6, 1931 2,020,129'- Wedge-v Nov. 5, 1935 2,178,767 Unger et al Nov. 7, 1939 

